Post-operative cognitive decline, dementia and anaesthesia

Abstract

There are now an estimated 700 000 people with dementia in the UK and one in three people currently end their life with dementia. Surgical procedures involving anaesthesia for people with dementia are therefore becoming increasingly commonplace. This article discusses the potential impact of anaesthesia on the development of cognitive impairment in older people, and explains why a better understanding of the impact of anaesthetic agents in people with dementia is imperative.